For the April Junior Saints, students were invited to draw a picture of something that happened to Jesus during Holy Week or Easter, and write about what Easter means to them.
Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
“I drew when Jesus meets His mother (during the Way of the Cross). The reason I drew this is because if I saw something like that, I would instantly start crying… How privileged I am to go to a Christian school, because of my mom and dad… Parents are everything… Mary is also your mother. I am so glad I have heavenly parents, and parents on Earth.” – Artwork and writing by Awah Ndi, fifth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham, Maryland
Palm Sunday artwork by Jordan Esene, fifth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
Artwork by Maxmiliano Merino-Ruiz, fifth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
Artwork by Agnes Barnett, fifth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
“Jesus died on the cross for us so our sins would be saved… Jesus saved us.” – Artwork and writing by Charlean Ndi, fifth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
“Easter means joy to me because Jesus’s resurrection makes me happy.” –Lily Ingobo, fifth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
“Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Jesus sees Himself on the cloth. I chose this because of my experience with the Stations of the Cross.” – Artwork and writing by Chizurum Obiagba, fourth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
“This picture represents Jesus dying and enduring a lot of pain for us.” –Yahir Carino, fourth grade, the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle, Lanham
Little Flower School, Great Mills
“Easter to me means that Jesus is back to take us to His Father Almighty. It means that my family joins together to celebrate Jesus.” – Artwork and writing by Owen Norris, seventh grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
“Easter is a holy time when we gather with family, and together we praise our Lord with a clean heart. We achieve a clean heart by going to Mass and Confession. That is what Easter means to me.” – Artwork and writing by Owen Beauchamp, sixth grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
“To me, Easter means the time to really think about what Jesus did for us. He suffered pain beyond anything we can imagine and died for our sins. He was ridiculed and embarrassed more than we will ever be, but he went through it all for us, to save us.” – Artwork and writing by Aidan Beyer, sixth grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
“Jesus died on the cross for all of us; this action means a lot to me. Jesus went through so much pain, He was beaten, spat on, and had to carry a heavy cross to give us eternal life.” – Artwork and writing by Rylee Goddard, seventh grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
“Easter to me is a time to celebrate and give thanks to God for Jesus. God gave his only Son for us and our sins. It is a time to rejoice and be glad for all the great things God has given us and keeps on giving us.” – Artwork and writing by Colt Keen, seventh grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
“Easter is the time we remember Jesus for dying to save us from our original sin. We also have a week of prayer.” – Artwork and writing by Camden Bean, eighth grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
“What Easter means to me is Jesus dying on the cross for us, and we should try to get more people to know God.” – Artwork an writing by Christina Derisavi, sixth grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
“Easter to me means sharing a nice meal with my family like in the Last Supper.” – Artwork and writing by Taylor Lee, sixth grade, Little Flower School, Great Mills
St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
Artwork by Elise McDonald, seventh grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown, Maryland
Artwork and writing by Dillon McMahon, first grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
“To me, Easter is a time of reflection. During Easter, we celebrate Jesus’s passion, death and resurrection. I believe Jesus’s time on the cross was the most important, because he could have saved himself, but he loved us so much, he continued to suffer on the cross. Jesus could have saved himself, seeing as he’s the Son of God, but he didn’t.” – Shannon Wenzlick, eighth grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
Artwork by Kourtney Newman, fifth grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
Artwork and writing by Laila Payne, first grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
“What Easter means to me is that Jesus died on the cross for me and you. He went through so much pain and suffering for our sins to be forgiven. His love for us is so grand and strong that Jesus, the Son of God the Father, sacrificed himself just to save us… Easter isn’t just about decorating and hiding eggs or the Easter bunny, but about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus our Lord and Savior.” – Christine Parnell, sixth grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
Artwork by Samantha Morrison, fifth grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
Artwork by Olyvia Krauss, seventh grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
“The death of Jesus impacted me because without his death, I couldn’t come to heaven to join him in paradise. He carried the cross in pain and suffering from blood loss. He laid down his life like a shepherd laying down his life for his sheep. He did God’s bidding even though he would die. This impacted me, because of his death I can go to heaven. His action he did showed me how much he loves us.” – Ethan Maradiaga, eighth grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown
Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
Artwork by Ryan Haines, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“Easter means repentance to me. Jesus forgave his persecutors by asking God to forgive them. I know if I were being tortured to death and had the power to escape, I would, but Jesus didn’t… Jesus forgave them, which takes strength, which we should have every day, the strength to forgive people.” – Artwork and writing by Daniel DiBonaventuro, seventh grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“Easter is the day Jesus rose from the dead, which is a very happy time… Easter is awesome, because when Jesus rises on Easter, I feel his presence even more, and it makes my day brighter and happier.” – Harper Hutchins, sixth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
Artwork by Natalie Napier, third grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“For me, Easter is a time of renewal. Easter is a time when we give back to God. Easter is a wonderful time of penance and reconciliation. Easter is a time to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. That is what Easter means to me. God will be with us this Easter.” – Artwork and writing by Nicolas Olekson, sixth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“Easter means a lot to me, not just because of the presents, but because we celebrate that when Jesus died for us, he died for our sins… Jesus did that for us because he loves us, so we should love him, too.” – Austin Parks, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“To me, Easter means rejoicing in the Lord our God and being reminded that Jesus sacrificed everything for our sins.” – Valentina Cruceta, fourth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“Easter means a lot to me, because it is the day that is special to the Catholic faith! Easter can be fun and the perfect time to pray and spend time with family. Praying is amazing and doing it on Easter is even better, maybe you could pray for Easter to be bright for other people. Spending time with family is also perfect for Easter, because they are a gift from God.” – Artwork and writing by Sadie Grey, fourth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“Easter means a lot to me, because that’s when Jesus rose from the dead. And when the women noticed he was gone, they went to spread the good news. That’s also when God told the people, ‘Peace be with you.’ It also was near the time when Jesus got nailed to the cross, so on Easter I like to take time to think about what Jesus did for us, and how I can be a better person overall as a gift back for what he did for us. He’s the reason we’re alive right now, and I want to show Jesus how grateful I am that he did that for us.” – Artwork and writing by Madalyn Moyer, sixth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“To me, Easter is a celebration of Jesus’s love for us. It reminds us that Jesus was willing to be betrayed, tortured and killed so we could be with him. It also reminds us that he is way stronger than the things of this world, even death! This helps me know that no matter what, I can always count on God. I love Easter, because I can reflect on Jesus’s actions and see how I can become more and more like him every day. It helps me grow as a Christian. That is why I love Easter.” – Artwork and writing by Jidi Onumah, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“Easter means to me when Jesus died and rose again. It’s when Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins. He died for us so we can have eternal life. He loves us so much that he died for us. He suffered for us, and was beaten and bruised for our salvation. He was crucified and died. But he did it for us.” – Artwork and writing by Kyla Hill, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“For me, Easter means how God sent his only Son to save the world from sin, and how Jesus died on the cross and then rose again on the third day. Every year since I was little, Easter Sunday was the best. I would dress up in my blue tuxedo and sing at my church, and then we would have an Easter egg hunt.” – Henry Coley, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“Easter means celebrating Jesus’s resurrection… Easter is a time to meditate, thank God and to repent. Easter is a time to appreciate family and friends, and to praise God for all that he has done for us and for the whole world.” – Artwork and writing by Amarachi Oleru, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“Easter to me is spending time with my family. We always go on trips, and it is so fun. This year we are going to New Jersey… On Easter we go to church, and after that we eat out. Easter to me is (also a time for) praising and thanking Jesus for sacrificing himself for us.” – Artwork and writing by Claira Coley, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“The crucifixion of Jesus is a very sad time for Christians, but it also represents God’s love for humanity. Jesus gave his life so we could live, and that is more than we can ever give. I think that Easter should be just like that, a time for love, sacrifice and selflessness. Lent is a time for sacrifice, and you should always love the people around you. We should always try our best to be a modern image of Jesus, and Easter reminds us of that.” – Ryan Culfogienis, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“Easter means to me that it’s the time when Jesus rose from the dead… Though Easter is a time of candy and Easter bunnies, it’s also a time of forgiving and the renewing of our salvation. I’m thankful for Jesus.” – Olivia Beckles, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“I drew Judas getting paid for betraying Jesus. This event kicks off Jesus’s arrest, torture and crucifixion. Though this is very sad, it was necessary for the redemption of mankind. We can use Judas as an example of what not to do with sin. If you know that something you are doing is wrong, don’t be like Judas and do it anyway. No earthly reward is worth sinning.” – Artwork and writing by Aurora Stoute, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“Holy Week is the time from Palm Sunday, when Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem, to Easter Sunday when Jesus rose on the third day. It is the pinnacle of our Catholic faith, besides the Eucharist. The author C.S. Lewis said that without the resurrection, Christianity has no importance, but because Jesus rose from the dead, it is of infinite importance. To me, Easter is a time of great contemplation, allowing for an extensive time of examination of conscience. In a nutshell, it is a time for me to grow closer to God.” – Artwork and writing by Julian Righi, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“For me, Easter is a time to spend with your family and friends. It is a time to thank God for everything He has done for you, and what He has done for everyone. It is a time to see how much God loves us, how much care He takes of us, and how important we are for Him, and of course how important He is for us. I also think it’s a time to thank Mary for giving us such an amazing Son and Savior. It is a time to be thankful for everything and everyone we have.” – Artwork and writing by Valeria Munoz, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda
Artwork by Claire Schreiber, sixth grade, St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda, Maryland
“To me Jesus Christ is the most important part of my life. His sacrifice for us and for the whole world was very tough, and He did it out of love for others and God. He was so brave to do all these things and lose his life, because He wanted others to live eternal life and rejoice with God. My picture shows the moment in which Christ is on the Mountain of Olives praying and pleading to God to help him through this phase. Jesus told God to do His will, because he knew what God wanted him to do, and He did it. Jesus knows what will happen to Him and what He will have to suffer. He was scared and yet he did not complain. I feel like all people have to learn not to run away from the things we don’t want to do or that scare us, but to be brave like Christ was.” – Artwork and writing by Crista Beuermann, fifth grade, St. Bartholomew School, Bethesda
Mary and mothers are topics for next Junior Saints in May
For the May 2023 Junior Saints online children’s section of the Catholic Standard, students are invited to draw a picture and write about Mary or their mother. The drawings and writings should be emailed to ZimmermannM@adw.org by Wednesday May 10, 2023 to Mark Zimmermann, the Catholic Standard's editor, and they should include the name, grade and school or parish of the student printed clearly.
Due to time constraints involved with reviewing the volume of submitted work, it is requested that schools or parish religious education programs limit their entries to 10 drawings and 10 writings from their students. The best formats to send are jpegs for artwork and word documents or pdfs for writing, if possible. Thank you!
